SWORD 496331

Description: An incomplete Early Early-Medieval (Anglo-Saxon) copper-alloy silvered sword pommel cap of 'cocked hat' type, missing its rivets and measuring 35.14x10.72x15.56mm. It weighs 14.46g. It is rectangular in plan and pyramidal in outline with concave sides and a flattened apex. The underside of the cap is hollow (max.25.88x7.28mm). At either end of the base, angled slightly into the concave sides, is a piercing 2.26mm in diameter. The pommel is decorated on one face with three punched double-ring-and-dot motifs, two being rather more double-semicircles as they flank the bottom edge. On the other face is a central punched double-ring-and-dot with a line of circular punches flanking the edges of the face. Both concave sides are decorated with two punched double-ring-and-dots, arranged rather more towards the apex, and on one side, one double-ring-and-dot has been punched over part of its neighbouring double-ring-and-dot. Silvering is apparent on all faces, and is only really missing around the edges of the object. MacGregor and Bolick (1993, 237) explain that copper-alloy pommel caps are fairly regular embellishments on Anglo-Saxon swords. Often the pommel, often of an organic material, has not survived, but the perforated lugs at either end of the pommel cap, as seen in this example, show that it was riveted to the pommel. The pommel caps were therefore to secure the pommel and to form a decorative terminal and had no role in counterbalancing the weight of the blade as they are light in weight. It is probably fifth or sixth century in date.

Date: 400 - 600

Object type: SWORD

Last import: August 15, 2017